From the Expo Floor: Red Cross Says One Size First Aid Program Doesn't Fit All

Oct 17, 2007

Just by virtue of their attendance at this 95th annual safety and health Congress, it is probably safe to say that most in the mass of safety-conscious professionals milling about here at Chicago's McCormick Place South would agree that a company's most valuable asset is its employees. And many here no doubt work for companies that provide a first aid/CPR/AED program designed specifically to protect those assets. But a quick stop by the American Red Cross's corner of the floor, at Booth 1163, serves as a healthy reminder that the most successful, useful, and healthy corporate programs are the ones that are tailor-made for individual companies.

ARC has a long history of providing such custom programs and continues to do so across the country. In its literature this year--even more than usual, it seems to me--the organization is focusing on the word "flexible" as being a key to success, as in "Our flexible first aid, CPR/AED, and emergency preparedness solutions will help you meet OSHA guidelines and prepare your employees to save lives" and "Combine our Flexible Training Programs--It's Your Choice!"

Among those programs, for anyone interested, are options in which a Red Cross instructor can come to your facility and train your employees at whatever time works best--daytime, evenings, or weekends; a plan by which you become an authorized provider and one or more of your employees is trained as a Red Cross instructor who, in turn, trains the rest of your staff; or having your employees attend regularly scheduled courses at your local Red Cross chapter.

Stop by Booth 1163 or contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information. You can also visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-667-2968.